Folding crate



B. C. ROCKWELL Apr. 10 1923';

FOLDING CRATE 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed June 1, 1922 Apr. 10, 1923. 1,451,373

B. c. ROCKWELL FOLDING CRATE Filed June 1, 1922 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Apr. 10, 1923.

BYRD G. ROCKWELL, OF CAMDEN, ARKANSAS.

FOLDING CRATE.

Application filed June 1, 1922. Serial No. 565,146.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BYRD C. RooKwnLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Camden, county of Ouachita, and State of Arkansas, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Folding Crates, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application.

This invention relates to folding crates and the like, and the objects of my invention are to provide a crate having its end walls and side walls permanently assembled together in such amanner that the crate can be easily and quickly erected or folded, and to provide simple and inexpensive means for pivotally mounting the end walls in position in the crate, which means when the crate is erected will successfully hold the end walls in position.

Further objects of my invention are to provide end walls. having pivotal supports located centrally between the respective ends of the side walls, whereby said end walls are movable independently of said side walls into and out of engagement with the seats formed in the ends of said side walls and which end walls when the crate is set up for use forms a light and strong end wall construction.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangements of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- I Figure 1 is a side elevation of the crate ready for use.

Figure 2 is an end view of the same.

Figure 3 is a horizontal cross section through one end of the crate. I

Figure 4: is a vertical cross section through one end of the crate. Q

Figure 5 is a horizontal cross section taken on line 55 of Fig. 4.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the crate folded.

Figure 7 is a horizontal cross section through one end of the folded crate.

Figure 8 is a perspective detail'view of the end wall.

Figure 9 is a cross section taken on line 9--9 of Figure 1.

Figure 10 is a perspective detail view of a modified form of end wall.

Figure 11 is a horizontal cross section through one corner of the crate showing another modified form of the end wall.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings ,,10 designates the side walls which in the present instance consist of a series of horizontally disposed slats 11 the ends of which are secured to vertically arranged corner posts 12.

Longitudinally formed in the outer sides of posts 12 are grooves 14 and threaded through these grooves are wires 15. The ends ofthese wire members 15 project beyond the ends of corner posts 12 and pass through apertures formed in the ends of transverse end bars 16 which ends rest upon and project past the corner posts 12. Formed in opposite faces of each pair of end bars 16 are recesses or bores 17 which are equidistant from the ends of said bars and are preferably 01fset relative to the corner posts 12. The inner sides of corner posts 12 are formed with longitudinally disposed channels or grooves 18 which are preferably concave or semicircular in cross-section. Occupying these channels when the crate is set up for use are the side edges 19 of end panels 20. A vertically disposed strip or bar 21 is secured to each panel 20 and is centrally located between the vertical edges 19. The ends of this bar project above and below the horizontal edges of each panel 20 and are pivotally seated in recesses 17 of the corresponding pair of transverse end bars 16. I

In Figure 10, I have shown a modified form of the end wall construction in which the end wall consists of slats 22, spaced from each other and secured to a vertical post 23 and the ends of these slats are reinforced by strips 24. v v

In Figure 11, the vertical edge of end wall 25 is formed rounded, as indicated at 26. This form of end wall is particularly desirable where the end walls are'formed of comparatively thick stock.

In assembling the crate, the side walls 10 are pivotallyconnected by means'of wires 15 to the ends of the bars 16. The upper ends of the wires are temporarily left straight in order to permit vertical movement of the upper end bar 16 so that the ends of vertical bars 21 may be inserted in the recesses 17 formed in the inner sides of transverse bars 16. After the end Walls are in place, said bars 16 are moved downwardly against the ends of corner posts 12 and the upper ends of wires 15 are bent against said bars in order to secure the latter in pivotal relation with said walls 10 and hold the end walls 20 in their respective positions.

lVhen the crate is folded or collapsed, the parts occupy positions shown in Figures 6 and 7 in which end wall sections 20 are moved about their pivots 21 and occupy an angular position relative to bars 16. In this position, the vertical edges 19 lie along side and substantially parallel with the channeled inner faces of corner posts 12.

In erecting or setting up the crate for use, the side walls 10 are moved away from each other. causing the corner posts 12 to turn about their pivots 15. During this movement of corner posts 12, end walls 20 are caused to turn on pivots 21 so that the side edges 19 enter channels 18. As'soon as the edges 19 are engaged by channels 19. end walls 20 are interlocked with their respective posts 12, and the turning of said posts about the pivots15, and which turning movement is caused by expanding or post tioning of the side walls 10, causes the end walls 20 by virtue of the interengagement of edges 19 with channels 18 to assume positions when the crate is erected at right angles to corner posts 12 and side walls 1.0, as shown in Figure 3. The top and bottom walls 27 and 28, respectively, may be of the usual construction in which slats 29 are nailed to end bars 30 and intermediate strips 31 or other form of construction may be used, if desired.

In order to eliminate side motion of the walls of a crate and prevent the endpanels fromcrceping when side strains are exerted on the crate, nails 32 are driven into the edges of corner posts 12 and traverse channels 18 and engage the edges 19 of end walls 20 and prevent the latter from creeping.

Bars 21 are preferably made oblong in cross-section, as this form affords maximum nailing surface, permits the folding of the crate more closely than around or square post of the same strength would do and is less expensive to manufacture. The recesses 17 which are of'sutiicient diameter to accommodate the ends of bars 21 are preferably placed to one side of the centers of bars 16 and corner posts 12 in order to aid the edges of panels 20 to enter easily in the channels 18.

V hat I claim is:

1. In a folding crate, side walls, trans verse end bars pivotally connected thereto, and end walls supported by said transverse bars and pivotally movable into engagement with said side walls.

2. In a folding crate, side walls, means for pivotally spacing said side walls, and

end walls held against displacement by said means and pivotally supported. whereby the vertical edges of said end walls are adapted to be engaged by said side walls.

8. A folding crate comprising side walls, transverse end bars hingedly connected thereto, and end walls pivotally supported by said bars and adapted to engage said side walls.

4. A collapsible crate comprisingside walls, transx' erse end bars pivotally connected thereto, and end walls pivotally supported by said bars and adapted when said side walls occupy positions other than at right angles relative to said bars to move into or out of engagement with said side walls.

A collapsible crate comprising side walls. transverse end bars pivotally connected thereto. and end walls pivotally supported by said bars whereby when the crate is in a folded position said end walls can be moved into and out of engagement with said side walls.

(3. lr folding crate comprising side walls, having their ends provided with vertically disposed seats, end bars hingedly secured to said side walls, and end walls pivotally supported by said bars and having their side edges adapted when the crate is set up for use to occupy said seats.

7. A folding crate comprising side walls having their ends provided with inwardly presented. seats, transverse end bars pivotally secured to said side walls, end walls adapted when the crate is expanded to he engaged by said seats, and means for pivotally supporting said end walls, the point of support of each end wall being equidistant from the respective seats.

8. A folding crate comprising side walls, corner posts secured thereto and having longitudinally disposed channels formed in their inner sides, top and bottom end bars pivotally secured to said corner posts and provided with oppositely disposed seats, end walls, and means having bearings in said seats for pivotally supporting said end walls whereby said end walls may be moved into engagement with said channels.

9. A folding crate comprising side walls. corner posts secured thereto and having longitudinally disposed channels formed in their inner sides, said channels being concave in cross-section, end bars pivotally secured to said corner posts and provided with oppositely disposed inwardly presented bores, and end walls having outwardly presented portions for engaging said bores whereby said end panels are pivot-ally movable into and out of engagement with said channels.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature this 27th day of May, 1922.

BYRD C. ROCKWELL. 

